Agriculture

Natural pesticides

Exosect
Winchester, UK.
Founded 2001
Employees: 20
Product description: Natural pesticides

Spun out of the University of Southampton eight years ago, Exosect sells a range of natural pesticide products to the agriculture, horticulture, stored products, beekeeping, amenity and public health sectors. It aims to assist growers in achieving “zero residues” of insecticides in their crops and to produce high quality food. Its Exosex SPTab solution, for example, disrupts the mating habits of certain types of moths that pose a particular problem with stored food. The Exoroach trap can withstand the hot temperatures of kitchens, and it can catch up to 1,000 cockroaches before being recharged.

Land management

Jain Irrigation Systems
Jalgaon, India.
Founded 1989
Employees: 5,000
Product description: Land management

Jain Irrigation Systems is one of the largest irrigation companies in the world, employing over 5,000 workers in the Maharashtra state of west India. A worldwide pioneer in irrigation systems, it has come a long way from the one-man band formed by law graduate Bhavarlal Jain when he began selling kerosene from a pushcart. Now it is a specialist in micro-irrigation and solar water-heating systems as well as in bio-pesticides and the agricultural use of plastics. Following US acquisitions, it plans to become the largest company in the sector.